Classic Peanut Butter Cookies: A Simple, Delicious Recipe

Ingredients for these classic peanut butter cookies include:

{See the printable recipe card below for the full ingredients and instructions}

Butter – I typically use salted butter. Add an extra pinch of salt when making the cookie dough if you’re using unsalted butter. 

Now if you are wondering if you can use shortening instead of butter in a peanut butter cookie, the answer is yes, you can. I prefer the all-butter cookie for its rich flavor, but replacing half of the butter with shortening will result in a more tender cookie while still retaining some of the butter flavor. 

Sugar – A combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar results in the best flavor and texture. 

Egg – Just one large egg is all you need. 

Peanut Butter – Regular creamy peanut butter works best in peanut butter cookies. All-natural peanut butter is risky because it’s hard to get the oil and the solids completely blended and this may negatively affect the texture of the cookie. Crunchy peanut butter is OK, but I find that it makes the texture a bit crumbly. 

Baking Soda – Be sure to use baking soda and not baking powder. 

Vanilla – It’s always nice to use real vanilla extract but imitation vanilla will work fine, too. With food prices the way they are, I don’t want you to go out and buy pricey vanilla extract if you don’t have it already on hand. If you’re using imitation vanilla, I find that it helps to add just a splash extra. 

All-Purpose Flour – I prefer unbleached all-purpose flour, but any kind of AP flour will work just fine. 

Salt – Fine salt is what I prefer to use. If you use unsalted butter, add a pinch more salt than the recipe calls for.

My tips for making classic peanut butter cookies:

Spoon the flour when measuring. Instead of dipping your measuring cup into the flour, spoon the flour into the cup. This technique will prevent adding too much flour to the dough, resulting in dense, crumbly cookies.

Use a cookie scoop. If you happen to have a cookie scoop, you can use it to make perfectly portioned cookies. If not, a spoon works, too. I use my medium cookie scoop, which is about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough. You can make the cookies larger, or smaller but will need to adjust the baking time accordingly. 

Chill the dough. This is especially important if you are using an all-butter cookie dough (as opposed to shortening). This will help the cookie to retain its shape in the oven and not become flat and overly crispy. I chill my dough for an hour before I even begin to scoop the cookie dough, and then I place the raw dough back into the refrigerator between batches. 

Use a fork to make a criss-cross pattern. Use the tines of a fork to make a criss-cross pattern on each cookie. As to why peanut butter cookies have a crisscross, I’m not sure that anyone knows for sure. Some say that it’s to flatten the dough, but I’m not sure I agree. Peanut butter cookie dough flattens in the oven with or without the crisscross. I think the more likely explanation is that it is for looks and helped commercial bakers distinguish between peanut butter cookies and other cookies. Either way, I like to do it because it is the classic presentation.

Sprinkle a little sugar. I like to sprinkle a dusting of sugar over the cookies before I pop them into the oven. The sugar makes the finished cookie look pretty and gives it a hint of crunchy texture. 

Underbake the cookies. If you want a soft, chewy cookie, you’ll want to bake it until the cookie is just barely set, or about 9-10 minutes. The cookie will be soft when you first remove the baking sheet from the oven but will firm up as it cools. So don’t attempt to move the cookie right away or it may fall apart. For a crispier cookie, allow it to bake for about 10-14 minutes.

Cool the cookies. I like to cool my peanut butter cookies on a cooling rack before I serve them or package them up. A plate will work, too, but a rack allows the air to flow around the cookies to cool them faster. 

How to store homemade peanut butter cookies. 

To store the baked cookies: I line an airtight container with parchment paper before stacking the cookies inside and sealing it tightly. I find that the cookies remain tasty for about 1 to 2 weeks before starting to taste stale. Alternatively, you can store peanut butter cookies in the refrigerator to extend their shelf life for a few more weeks. They can also be kept in the freezer; I’ve noticed that the cookies maintain their best quality for 3 to 4 months in the freezer. For more information about the shelf life of cookies, you can refer to this article by the USDA.

To freeze peanut butter cookie dough. You can tightly wrap the dough in plastic wrap and store it in the freezer for up to two months to ensure the best quality. Consult USDA recommendations for freezing cookie dough in this article.